Sugar sifting and dispensing attachment for containers



1951 o. H. MAUD 2,565,774

SUGAR SIFTING AND DISPENSING ATTACHMENT FOR CONTAINERS Filed Jan. 26, 1949 Fig.

Orman H. Maud INVENTOR.

BY Qwmfih Patented Aug. 28, 1951 SUGAR SIFTING AND DISPENSING ATTACH- MENT FOR CONTAINERS Orman H. Maud, Albany, N. Y. Application January 26, 1949', Serial No. 72,834

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to a device which takes the form of an attachment for the threaded discharge neck of a container such as is used on a restaurant table for dispensing limited charges of sugar in accordance with the discretion of each individual user.

It is a matter of common knowledge to those familiar with the construction and use of such sugar dispensing containers that the sugar often gets lumpy and the lumps lodge in the spill-type cap and interrupt the free flow of sugar. object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a sugar sifting and de-lumping screen which intercepts the sugar as it is shaken out of the container, said screen being provided with a scraper which breaks up the lumps, clears the screen of sugar dislodgements and keeps the screen sufliciently clean to insure uninterrupted dispensing accomplishments.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structural assemblage as broadly defined wherein, more specifically, the rotary scraper is centrally pivoted to the screen means and is adapted to be switched back and forth in wiping contact with the screen in a manner to thus loosen and dislodge sugar accumulations and clear the screen sufficiently that it will effectively allow sugar to filter therethrough without impediment.

In order to realize other objectives within the purview of the instant invention, I utilize a circular scraper equipped screen and assemble same Within the confines of a screw cap which attaches to the sugar container and in addition provide a split ring-like spring which is removably snapped into the cap ring in order to provide a simple and practical assemblage of main parts which, collectively, provide an efiicient screened closure for said container.

Other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Figure l is a view in section which. shows the complete attachment for the jar or container, said attachment forming a partial closure for the neck or mouth portion of the container;

a top plan view based on Figure 1;

fragmentary detail sec- Figure 2 is Figure 3' is an enlarged The' tion on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, king in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 4 is a similar fragmentary sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the fianged I rotary scraper;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the screen assembling and retaining member.

In the drawings in Figure er, which may be a jar or the like, is denoted by the numeral 8* and has the usual open upper end which is screw-threaded at 9 and which may be referred to as the mouth of the container. The cap-ping ring, sometimes referred to as a screw cap, is denoted by the numeral. Ill and comprises a screw-threaded. ring portion I I which screws onto the threads 9 and an inturned annular capping flange f2 which is of sufficient cross-section to assemble and retain the parts which coact therewi h.

As stated, the sugar intercepting, distributing and sifting screen, which is here shown constructed of interconnected wires crossing one another, is circular and is denoted in the drawings by the numeral l3. The intersecting wires as brought out, for example, in Figure 4 are distinguished by the numerals l4 and I5. The end portions of the wiresare connected with an assembl'ing and retaining annulus or rim member I6, The latter is provided on one side with a struck out tongue I! having a laterally bent retentive terminal I8. On the diametrically opposite side is a similar tongue l9 struck out from the notch 20 and having a lateral retentive terminal. or detentv 2| (see Figure 3). The numeral 22 designates a. wide strap-like element which may be conveniently described as a spider and this rests on and extends across the central top side of the; screen and has its opposite ends bent to form hooks 23 which are engaged beneath the rim member I6 of the screen in the manner shown. This spider is essentially a foundation or mount for the rotary screen clearing scraper unit 2.4. This unit 24 is channel-shaped in cross-section and the web or bight portion is denoted at 25 and the flanges at 26 and 21, said flanges serving as convenient upstanding finger-grips. The scraper proper is the bight portion 25 and this has wiping contact with the screen and it also serves to accommodate an attaching and assembling. staple. The staple is denoted in Figure 1 by the numeral 28 and the prong portions 29 and an extend through an aperture in. the central part of the web 25 and said prongs are bent apart so that a cotter key connection is thus had. The connectionv is such that the scraper is not only attached to the spider but the scraper rotates freely in relation to. the spider and screen wire. In addition to the screen,'-I find it advisable to provide a wear element and this takes the form of an annulus or ring. 3| which is of. a diameter corresponding 1, the sugar containto the rim member l6 of the screen and which is superposed in relation to said rim as brought out in Figures 3 and 4. The Wear ring 3| has an arcuate slot on one side as at 32 in Figure 2. On the diametrically opposite side there is a bayonet slot, the entrance or notch portion of which is indicated at 33 and the restricted lateral end. portion at 34. From this arrangement it will be seen that the ring 3| is placed atop the rim portion of the screen and the tongue I! is passed through the slot 32 and the lateral portion is bent as at IE to provide an interlocking connection between the rim member I6 and ring 3|. The tongue I9 on the opposite side is fed in through the entrance notch 33 and by rotating the ring 3| a slight turn in relation to the rim member IS the tongue l9 feeds into the keeper restriction 34 and the free endof the tongue is bent at 2| to thus assemble the parts. Additional slots 35 and 36 are provided and these have their edge portions bent in in parallelism and to provide spacing elements which slightly space the ring 3| from the rim of the screen. sort of a trackway or runner and the outer end portions of the rotaryscraper ride in contact therewith to prevent undue Wear on the screen wires. The assembling of parts is such, however, that the portion 25 of the scraper is sufiiciently close to the screen that it is said to have sweeping or Wiping contact with the screen. The wear ring 3| is not perhaps essential and in most of the subjoined claims is omitted as an unnecessary limitation since the primary arrangement is to have a circular or disk-like screen with a rotary scraper to be fitted within the confines of the capping ring I so that the screen may be thus removably mounted on the mouth portion of the sugar jar.

Reference being had additionally to Figure 1, it will be seen that the ring I I has, just below the flange l2, an endless indentation 31 providing a retaining seat for a split resilient ring 38 which constitutes a screen assembling and retaining spring. This spring is snapped into the channel or seat outwardly of the lip of the container as shown in Figure 1 and comes into proper mechanical association with the screen that the latter is removably held within the confines of said capping ring ID. The flange l2 on the ring overhangs the annulus 3| and thus we visualize the assemblage made up of the circular screen, wear annulus 3| fastened around the margin of the screen, and the pivotally attached scraper (three complemental parts) held as an assemblage in the surrounding cap ring l0 and pressing against the underside of flange l2 and held against said flange l2 by way of the split ring 38. I am concerned with the idea of providing a suitable screen to partially close the mouth of a glassor equivalent sugar containing and dispensing jar which is preferably held in place by a cap ring of the type indicated at I!) and which is provided with a suitable rotary scraper 24 which is turned by hand and which scraper serves to break up sugar lumps and accumulations and to sufficiently reduce same that the resultant. particles will be free of adherence to the screen and Will keep the screen sufiiciently clear that clogging will be reduced to a minimum. Hence, by providing a substantially clogproof screen the sugar passing therethrough is repeatedly conditioned for efiectivedispensing 5 Changes in shape, size, materials and rear- The thus attached ring 3| serves as .fclaimed as new is:

1. In a sugar container attachment of the class describeda flat circular screen, an annular wear member superposed upon the outer peripheral surface portion of said screen, said screen having a marginal reinforcing rim and said wear member being in parallelism above said rim, said r' having retaining and assembling tongues a d said annular member having apertures for 1%- leasable reception of said tongues, a scraper comprising a channel-shaped member pivotally connected intermediate its ends to the central portion of said screen, the outer ends of said scraper being in rotary contact with said wear member. '2. A sifting and de-lumping attachment for the discharge end of a sugar container such as is used on table-type sugar dispensers comprising a circular sifting screen, an annular rim member underlying said screen and coacting with the marginal portion of the latter, a spider centrally spanning the top surface of said screen and having opposite end portions bent over the margins of the screen and underlying said rim, an annulus resting atop said screen and having diametrically opposite portions resting atop the coacting ends of said spider and coinciding with the marginal edge of the screen and underlying rim, means joining the rim and annulus together, and a screen scraper, said scraper being channelshaped in cross-section and embodying a flat bight portion centrally and pivotally connected to the axial central portionof said spider and further having upstanding spaced parallel flanges, said flanges providing finger-grips and being adapted to be grasped for purposes of rotating the scraper in relation to said spider and screen, the end portions of said scraper overlying said annulus. 3. The structure specified in claim 2 and ,a capping ring provided with screw threads and also having an inturned capping flange, said capping flange overlying said annulus, said capping ring REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 7 Name I Date 968,257 Olson Aug. 23, 1910 1,083,320 EuDaly Jan. 6, 1914 1,162,816 Sperry Dec. 7, 1915 1,207,352 Wheeler Dec. 5, 1916 1,349,716 Elliot, Aug. 17, 1920 1,384,441 Flannigan e July 12,1921 1,515,930 Cole Nov. 18,1924 1,563,722 Carlson et al Dec. 1, 1925 1,573,979 Light et al Feb. 23, 1926 1,593,312 Shappell July 20, 1926 1,942,275 Carey Jan. 2, 1934 1,997,492 Lirio Apr. 9, 1935 2,024,920 Gibbons Dec. 17, 1935 2,495,806 Block i 'Jan. 31, 1950 

